Page 23 of Real Scale Blazer
“And yet, here I am.” He took a step closer, and suddenly the playful atmosphere shifted into something more intense. “Perhaps the universe is trying to tell you something.”
Quinn’s breath caught in her throat. He was too close, radiating heat and power and something else she wouldn’t name. Something that made her want to step closer instead of away.
“The universe needs to mind its own business,” she managed, proud that her voice remained steady. “I came here to study geology, not... whatever this is.”
“And what do you thinkthisis?” His voice had dropped lower, sending shivers down her spine.
“Nothing.” She stepped back, needing distance to clear her head. “It’s nothing. You’re my host, and I’m grateful for the save, but that’s all.”
His eyes searched her face for a long moment. “You don’t believe that.”
“I have to.” The words slipped out before she could stop them. She turned away quickly, hoping he hadn’t heard the vulnerability in her voice. “I need to get back to work.”
“At least let me?—”
“No.” She started walking, refusing to look back at him. “I don’t need an escort, a guard, or a dragon-sized safety net. I can handle myself.”
His deep chuckle followed her across the courtyard. “As you wish, little scientist. But remember—sometimes accepting help isn’t a sign of weakness. It’s a sign of wisdom.”
“And sometimes,” she muttered under her breath, “it’s a sign that you’re getting way too close to something you shouldn’t.”
Quinn quickened her pace, her cheeks burning. Stupid, arrogant dragon king with his stupid, logical points and his stupid, attractive everything. She wouldn’t admit it aloud, but the memory of soaring through the clouds on his back had stirred something in her—something that had nothing to do with geological research and everything to do with the way her heart had raced when he’d held her safe in his claws.
She needed to focus on her work, not on the way his scales had shimmered in the sunlight or how his presence made her feel simultaneously protected and challenged. She had mysteries to solve, and none of them involved why her pulse quickened every time he looked at her with those piercing ice-blue eyes.
But as she reached her quarters, she couldn’t help glancing back toward the courtyard. Kai was gone, but the impression of his dragon form against the sky lingered in her mind. For the first time since arriving on Nova Aurora, she wondered if shemight be in over her head—and not just because of the unstable geology.
“Focus, Quinn,” she told herself firmly. “You’re here to study rocks, not fall for the local dragon king. No matter how unfairly attractive he is when he’s being all heroic and infuriating.”
The walls of her room hummed with what sounded suspiciously like amusement.
“Oh, shut up,” she told them. “Nobody asked you.”
But as she paced the room, she couldn’t quite shake the memory of flyingdragonback, held safely in the embrace of a dragon who looked at her like she was something precious and frustrating and wonderful all at once. It was almost enough to make her wonder if maybe—just maybe—there were some mysteries worth exploring beyond the geological ones.
Almost. But not quite. She had work to do, and she wasn’t about to let attraction, no matter how powerful, derail her from her goals. Even if said attraction came with wings, scales, and the most intense blue eyes she’d ever seen.
Right. Focus on the science. Not the dragon. Definitely not the dragon.
The walls hummed again.
“I mean it,” she warned them. “Not. One. Word.”
But even her equipment seemed to be laughing at her now, and Quinn couldn’t quite suppress her own smile as she headed out to the workshop with the tools she needed to fix her equipment. Again.
Maybe Nova Aurora had more surprises in store for her than she’d bargained for—and maybe, just maybe, not all of them would be geological in nature.
NINETEEN
Kai gripped the edge of his ancient desk, his knuckles white against the dark wood. The memory of Quinn dangling over that crevasse replayed in his mind, each second of it burning through his veins like molten metal. His dragon instincts roared beneath his skin, demanding he find her, protect her, keep her safe.
But she’d hate that.
A growl rumbled in his chest. Nearly a millennium of iron control, of measured responses, and careful diplomacy, yet this tiny human scientist had the power to shatter his composure with a single reckless act. The desk creaked under his grip.
“My king?” Darian’s voice came from the doorway. “The human woman has returned to her quarters. She appears... dusty but unharmed.”
Kai released the desk, straightening to his full height. “Thank you, Darian.”